
29-Jul-2006, 13:26
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 | Member | | Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 346
Home Country: Wales Native Language: English Current Location: Rwanda Member Type: English Teacher | |
Re: would sooner. wish Quote: |
Originally Posted by magdalena Hi! Is construction "I would sooner you did not do that " or other ones with would sooner commonly used in Britain? I have seen for the first time today. I wish, I would sooner seem to me rather formal or am I mistaken? I would rather say: I am sorry I wasn't nicer to you in the past than I wish I had been nicer to you in the past. brrrr . Or just "I should have been nicer to you in the past". How is it? Do they really differ ? Which one is native Brit most likely to use in conversation? | "I would sooner" is not very common, and when used is considered very formal. The alternatives you give are far more common, especially for past regrets. My experience is that "I would sooner" is more common in talking about the future, even to react to something that someone has just started doing - "I would sooner you didn't turn on the television." People generally use expressions such as " I would prefer...../I would rather.......". |